Weidman, Bel Air take down Fallston

With 15 seconds left in the first overtime, Bel Air senior Matt Weidman scored the game-winning goal, lifting the 14th-ranked Bobcats to a 2-1 victory over previously undefeated and 13th-ranked Fallston in an UCBAC Chesapeake boys soccer contest Thursday evening in Harford County.

It was a battle of UCBAC titans, so shots-on-goal were hard to come by. The Bobcats (6-1-2 overall, 2-0 Chesapeake) took advantage after Fallston was penalized with a red card in the final minute. Weidman broke free down the left side and punched the winner through after entering the box.

“It felt good against a rival,” Weidman said. “Their defense was out of position, and it bounced over them. I ran right past them, and I was one-on-one with the goalie.

Bobcats head coach Dominic Rose said both teams played well enough to win.

“It was gutsy; both teams know each other and it’s a big rivalry,” he said. “We’ve been a bit more tested this year. We’ve had a lot of overtime games and played games all the way to 0-0 ties.”

Each team nearly shut the other out in the first half, as the ball mostly stayed in the middle of the field. Weidman helped create the Bobcats’ first score in the 39th minute, as he tangled with the goalkeeper, resulting in an own goal.

Fallston (6-1-1, 1-1-1 Chesapeake), which faced a deficit at the half for the first time this season, came out much sharper and tied the game seven minutes into the second. Christian Worthington took a feed from the middle and sprinted for the goal.

“That was a really nice combination overlap play,” Fallston coach Chris Hoover said. “It’s something we’ve had a lot of all this year, and it was just great composure by Christian to finish that. Winning the ball in the offensive third made that difference for us.”

The Cougars kept the intensity level high over the next 15 minutes, though they couldn’t pull ahead. Both teams got close in the final minutes, but they ran out of time.

Ethan Crosby finished with seven saves in the winning effort for Bel Air.

Hoover was not at all surprised by the tense, close game, and future contests with the Bobcats will likely go the same way. He praised his players’ resolve in the second half and overtime.

“We tried to keep our heads, and in the back, Zach Stromberger did an excellent job,” he said. “He made several tackles and transitioned us right into offense. We could always count on Dylan Shepherd and Christian Worthington to give us that attack. Their confidence of sticking with our game plan, using our wing players to get better, it showed.”

With this early test past Bel Air, Rose expects his players to get even better.

“We have high expectations for the program, and it’s the next step for where we want to go,” he said. “We have to get healthy and play a little smarter at times.”

No. 14 Bel Air 2, No. 13 Fallston 1

Bel Air 1 0 1 – 2

Fallston 0 1 0 – 1

Goals: Bel Air - own goal, Weidman; Fallston - Worthington.

Saves: Bel Air - Crosby 7; Fallston - 7.